Gopal Divya, Nagendra Harini, Manthey Michael
Department of Ecology, Ecosystem Science/Plant Ecology, Technische Universität Berlin, Rothenburgstr. 12, 12165, Berlin, Germany,
Environ Manage. 2015 Jun;55(6):1390-401. doi: 10.1007/s00267-015-0467-3. Epub 2015 Apr 4.
There is widespread acknowledgement of the need for biodiversity and greening to be part of urban sustainability efforts. Yet we know little about greenery in the context of urban poverty, particularly in slums, which constitute a significant challenge for inclusive development in many rapidly growing cities. We assessed the composition, density, diversity, and species distribution of vegetation in 44 slums of Bangalore, India, comparing these to published studies on vegetation diversity in other land-use categories. Most trees were native to the region, as compared to other land-use categories such as parks and streets which are dominated by introduced species. Of the most frequently encountered tree species, Moringa oleifera and Cocos nucifera are important for food, while Ficus religiosa plays a critical cultural and religious role. Tree density and diversity were much lower in slums compared to richer residential neighborhoods. There are also differences in species preferences, with most plant (herb, shrub and vines) species in slums having economic, food, medicinal, or cultural use, while the species planted in richer residential areas are largely ornamental. Historic development has had an impact on species distribution, with older slums having larger sized tree species, while recent slums were dominated by smaller sized tree species with greater economic and food use. Extensive focus on planting trees and plant species with utility value is required in these congested neighborhoods, to provide livelihood support.
人们普遍认识到生物多样性和绿化需要成为城市可持续发展努力的一部分。然而，我们对城市贫困背景下的绿化情况知之甚少，尤其是在贫民窟，这对许多快速发展城市的包容性发展构成了重大挑战。我们评估了印度班加罗尔44个贫民窟的植被组成、密度、多样性和物种分布，并将其与其他土地利用类别中关于植被多样性的已发表研究进行比较。与公园和街道等以引进物种为主的其他土地利用类别相比，大多数树木是该地区的原生树种。在最常见的树种中，辣木和椰子对食物供应很重要，而菩提树则扮演着关键的文化和宗教角色。与较富裕的居民区相比，贫民窟的树木密度和多样性要低得多。物种偏好也存在差异，贫民窟中的大多数植物（草本、灌木和藤本）物种具有经济、食物、药用或文化用途，而富裕居民区种植的物种主要是观赏性的。历史发展对物种分布产生了影响，较老的贫民窟有更大尺寸的树种，而新建的贫民窟则以具有更大经济和食物用途的较小尺寸树种为主。在这些拥挤的社区，需要广泛关注种植具有实用价值的树木和植物物种，以提供生计支持。
